SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 103 - ekAtmA.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 103 - ekAtmA.

 

965. ekAtmA – The one unique and Superior Soul.

 

om ekAtmane namaH.

 

eka means `one, and `AtmA' refers to `soul'. SrI BhaTTar explains

that bhagavAn is the One and only Supreme Soul who controls all the

other souls, and so He is ekAtmA – sarvasya cit acit vargasya ayam

eka eva SeshI bhoktA abhimAnau ca iti ekAtmA – He is ekAtmA because

He is the Sole Master, Enjoyer, and Well-wisher of all sentient and

non-sentient objects. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's

pASuram, where bhagavAn is called `Or uyirEyO!" – which

is `translated' by SrI V. N. Vedanta deSikan as `ekAtmA' in his

tamizh translation. He obviously chose this word for the tamizh

translation because `ekAtmA' summarizes AzhvAr's thoughts the best,

even though it is not a tamizh word. The pASuram of interest is:

 

AruyirEyO! AgaliDa muzhudum paDaittu iDandu uNDu umizhndu

aLanda

PEruyirEyO! Periya nIr paDaittu a'ngu uRaindu adu kaDaindu

aDaittu uDaitta

SIruyirEyO! maniSarkku dEvar pOla devarkkum devAvO!

Or uyirEyO! Ulaga'ngaTkellAm unnai nAn e'ngu vandu uRugO!

(tiruvAi. 8.1.5)

 

"The vast universe was created, once dug out from deep waters (varAha

incarnation), swallowed (pralaya), spat out (creation after pralaya),

scaled with feet (trivikrama incarnation), all by You, out of grace.

You made the seas, churned them, bridged the ocean, and broke a part

of it later. You are my dear life. You are the Lord of all the deva-

s, and You are far above the deva-s just as the deva-s are far above

the humans. Your are the Supreme Soul above all the other souls, the

Creator, Protector and Destroyer of the universe. How am I to reach

You? Pray tell me."

 

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan quotes the following Sruti vAkya in support of

SrI BhaTTar's interpretation of the nAma - nityo nityAnAm cetanaS-

cetanAnAm eko bahUnAm yo vidadAti kAmAn – He Who is the Most Eternal

above all the nitya-s, the Supreme above al the cetana-s, the One Who

constitutes the many, and the One Who bestows all the wishes of all

the other beings.

 

SrI Sa'nkara `s vyAkhyAnam is ekaSca asau AtmA ca iti ekAtmA – The

one Self. He gives the following in support:

 

AtmA vA idameka agra AsIt | nAnyat ki'ncana mishat | sa

Ikshata lokAnnu sRjA iti | (Aita. 1.1.)

 

"In the beginning all this was this Atman alone. There was nothing

else that winked. He willed "Let me create the worlds".

 

He also gives the li'nga purANa in support:

 

yaccApnoti yad-Adatte yaccAtti vishayAniha |

yaccAsya santato bhAvas-tasmAd Atmeti gIyate || (li'nga.

70.96)

 

"That which pervades, that which receives, that which enjoys the

objects, and that which exists always, is called the Atman".

 

SrI satya devo vAsishTha explains the nAma as: "eva'nca sa

vishNureva sarvasya sthAvara ja'ngama rUpasya viSvasya eka AtmA

sarvatra vyAptatvAt ekAtmA – Lord vishNu, who pervades everything in

this Universe of sentient and non-sentient objects, is called ekAtmA.

 

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as "eka AtmA = mukhya svAmI

= The Supreme Deity.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan